Boots
by Palexiot
Summary: Palex! Who knew a single pair of boots could be so much trouble? Paige POV. Rated T for Language. One Shot. Disclaimer in summary: I own nothing.


_Stupid boots. Stupid damned,uncomfortable, pinchy boots._ I thought as I stalked up the stairs to the room I shared with my girlfriend. Well I was _trying_ to stalk but stalking and trying not to die a very painful and wicked death from falling down the stairs due to blood restricting four and a half inch heeled monstrosities didn't exactly go hand in hand.

I heard the stairs behind me creak and I knew Alex was following me. I also knew she wasn't even trying to stop herself from rolling her eyes at my teetering walk. You'd think I'd be used to wearing heels by now, and usually I have no problem but these boots...They are EVIL. But they are typically, mondo expensive evil that only a designer like Jimmy Choo can create and the fact that I found them at our mall for 60 off the original price and another 30 off that made them _affordable _evil.

"Paige you do realize that you're walking like a cloven hoofed animal right now don't you?" Alex drawled and as I looked over my shoulder I saw her keeping close to the wall.

"One, you're not funny, two you will _never_ understand the importance of this particular purchase and three why are you clinging to the wall like Spiderman?" I demanded and winced as I turned my ankle slightly.

"One, I am quite funny and I know this for fact as I had you snorting milk out your nose two days ago when I did my impression of Heather Sinclair hula dancing, two, there is _no_ importance to a $202.50 pair of boots that you can't even walk in without resembling a Slavic goat, except the fact that you spent $ 202.50 on a pair of _shoes_, and three, I'm keeping close to the wall in case your concentration fails and you take a tumble backward. I refuse to be taken out because of your poor choice of footwear."

I honestly didn't know which part of that to be angrier at. So I decided that all of it deserved an equal amount of my ire and I resolutely turned my back on her as I reached the top of the stairs and strode as carefully and dignified as I could.

A soft sigh from Alex indicated that she realized her error. But it was too late. I was pissed. I reached the door to our bedroom and took hold of the knob, just as my hand wrapped around the cool brass I felt her hand on my arm.

"Paige, I'm sorry I insulted you but really. Those boots, they're just a bad idea." There was a repentant tone to her voice. But there was also the underlying conciliatory one that she used when playing the "How fast can I placate Paige" game.

I turned slowly, using the door jamb for support and glared hard at her.

"Slavic goat?" Unexpectedly I felt tears pricking the backs of my eyes.

But instead of letting them show I let loose with my typical weapon of choice when wounded. "Consider the barn door closed to visitors then." I hissed and saw Alex actually back up a step. "and as to my "poor choice in footwear" that's rich coming from someone who, when it comes to fashion, barely knows which open end of the t-shirt her head goes through."

And there it was. Her anger. She started this whole thing. She'd been needling me about the boots since before I bought them and I was just plain sick of it. I wasn't going to take anymore and if she got pissed that I was fighting back so be it.

"For your information Paige I am well aware of what end of the t-shirt my head goes through. And even more, I am actually aware of the maker and style of the boots you bought, but unlike _some_ people I don't feel the need to flaunt my knowledge in front of everyone. And while we're talking about knowledge, at least _I_ know better than to spend money on a pair of shoes that I can't wear right. Of course, I guess it doesn't hurt that I've actually had to work for my money and haven't just had it handed to me whenever I asked for it."

"Oh really, so just how hard did you work for the twenties you _earned_ at Zanzibar?" I sneered but even as the words left my mouth I knew I shouldn't have said it. As usual the Michalchuk brain had been outmatched by the Michalchuk mouth.

I didn't bother to apologize, didn't stammer for excuses or forgiveness. The faint flicker of awareness in her eyes told me she knew I realized my mistake but she was still hurt by it. Without another word Alex turned and trotted downstairs. I think maybe I would have preferred it if she'd yelled at me. Yelling and snarking are familiar territory and easy to go back from, whereas quiet hurt tends to form walls and boundaries.

I sighed heavily and felt my shoulders slump under the weight of my own carelessness. I have to say, sometimes I am genuinely surprised she puts up with me. I opened the door to our room and hobbled in shutting the door behind me; my feet were throbbing in a tempo matched only by the pain in my head. I sat down quickly and rather gracelessly on the bed and thumped my right foot up onto my bent knee and tugged on the boot. It didn't budge.

Shit.

I tugged again and didn't feel it shift by even a fraction.

Shit again.

Another hard pull and without realizing it my body shifted and one more yank found me flat on my ass on the floor.

This was why I always had Alex pull my boots off for me. She had a certain knack for it. Grasping the heel with one hand and my mid-calf with her other and one or two small jerks and the boot was off. No mess, no fuss. So now not only were my feet hurting, my head was pounding _and _I seemed destined to be stuck wearing these wretched boots for the rest of my life as I had hurt Alex and lost my boot remover to...well...boot.

I laughed caustically but it came out more of a hysterical sob as I pulled frantically on the heel. This served only to wrench my back as I twisted in a rather bad way. I used the back of my hand to wipe away a tear making its way down my cheek.

I deserved this. I mean if I had just listened to Alex in the first place. I'd have my money, I'd have feet that didn't feel like they were being crushed in a vice and I'd have Alex in here with me. I'd bought the shoes not just because of the fashion statement, but because as I had eyed them Alex made some comment as she was prone to do and I don't know why but it set off something in my head. Her disapproval of the boots made me want them even more and even after I tried them on and could feel my cramping and morphing into one solid mass within the leather confines I bought them anyway. I had my pride to maintain. And now, in this moment of cognizance one can only find when truly alone, I realized that I was completely divested of my pride and was seriously regretting my vanity and self indulgence.

I gave up on trying to remove the boot and just sat despondently on the floor next to the bed. I was really wishing Alex was there with me. And not just so she could help me but so that I could make things right with her. I'd walk another eight steps in these boots which was tantamount to an eight mile hike, barefoot over broken glass as far as I was concerned. Of course those eight steps were entirely dependent on my ability to ever be able to stand again, which I seriously doubted anyway.

Another tear slid down my cheek and I brushed it angrily away. I'd gotten myself in this predicament with my pigheadedness and so I had no right feeling sorry for myself. I looked up as I heard the door opening. Alex peeked her head in.

I sniffed a bit and sat more upright and was perplexed at her small grin. Seeing my confusion she explained herself.

"You look like a little doll sitting there like that."

"Yeah, well that would explain why my head is filled with sawdust now wouldn't it?" I replied by way of indirect apology.

Alex shook her head and came over to kneel by me. She took one booted foot on her lap and grasping it in her usual manner gave a sharp pull and suddenly my torture was over. For all of two seconds. I felt the blood rushing to my abused feet and the pins and needles pricked so hard I jumped as my whole leg spasmed. I gritted my teeth and gripped the carpet on either side of me as I tried to ride out this new discomfort. The other boots followed soon after.

Alex, being Alex tried to massage some feeling back into my feet. The pressure she applied to the top of it, however, caused my eyes to tear up. Baffled by this Alex removed my sock and I stifled a cry as it seemed to stick to the top of my foot painfully. Having removed the garment Alex bent to examine my appendage and gasped. She quickly removed the other one and found the same thing there. Running her fingers gently over the instep she regarded the battle scars I had acquired in my fight with the boots.

The boots had rubbed a raw patch on both the tops of my feet as well as my heels. I found out a bout the heels when I tried to drag my feet off Alex's lap and towards myself. Alex moved my feet over to the side and stood up reaching down to help me off the floor. I was unsteady as my feet were still mostly asleep and I gratefully sat down on the bed. Having moved me to a more convenient place Alex left the room for a moment and I could hear her rummaging around in the bathroom for something. I then heard her head downstairs for something. She was only gone for a few minutes but I found myself missing her desperately.

She arrived with her finds, setting them on the floor in front of me. A bowl of what appeared to be warm water, a small cloth, a towel, Neosporin and some Band-Aids.

"I put some Epsom salt in here so it might sting some." Alex said as she lifted one foot and after dunking the cloth in the water proceeded to wash the raw patch on my skin. I winced and released a small hiss as the warm water sluiced over the abrasions. But Alex's soothing ministrations soon had me relaxing. After she had bathed both feet she patted them dry with the towel and applied a small amount of Neosporin and the Band-Aids over the top. As Alex made to pick up the items on the floor I grabbed her arm stilling her.

"Leave that for now please. Come up here with me." I said as I swung my legs up onto the bed and moved over to make room for her.

She got on the bed and I immediately snuggled into her, my body craving her touch. I looked in her eyes and saw that she had forgiven me my previous indiscretion and I leaned in and brushed my lips against hers in silent gratitude. We lay there for a long time, not saying anything, just listening to each other breathe. We fell asleep like that in fact and I awoke to her spooning me.

Finding Alex still asleep I moved silently away from her and got up from the bed. I had a plan and I wanted to surprise her with the results. Well that and if my idea didn't pan out I wanted to keep it my own secret.

Two weeks later I sat across from Alex at a small candlelit table in a cozy little out of the way restaurant.. We had finished dinner and as we sat in silence she was looked at me curiously and I reached across the table taking her hand in mine.

"I love you." I said simply.

"I love you too Paigey, but you're hiding something from me." She answered back displaying, yet again, her uncanny knack for reading me perfectly.

"I might be." I replied mischievously as I played with her fingers.

The candle on our table lit her eyes in such a way that I found myself struggling for breath.

"Paige? Are you ok?" Alex asked concernedly.

I nodded and swallowed audibly before answering. "You're just so beautiful."

She looked away shyly and I took the opportunity to pull a small, decorated box out from under the table and put it next to her plate. When she turned back and found her present she gasped softly.

"Did I miss an anniversary or something?" There was a smidgen of panic in her voice and I hastened to reassure her.

"No, there's no anniversary. I just wanted to do something special for you. Go on, open it." I watched in delighted anticipation as she lifted the lid and looked inside. Another soft gasp escaped her lips as with trembling fingers she pulled out the thin hoop earrings.

"Are they silver?" She asked examining them more closely.

"Platinum." I replied and squeezed the hand I was still holding as she looked up to protest.

"Don't worry about it Alex. You deserve that and so much more. Everything I have to offer is yours and only yours." I brought her hand to my lips to brush a fleeting kiss across her knuckles.

"Besides, I figure you should definitely get some kind of reward for putting up with a psycho clothes horse such as myself."

Alex sighed and put the earrings back in the box and turned a stern gaze back to me.

"Paige, you don't have to keep apologizing for the fiasco with the boots. It's over now."

I shook my head smiling and squeezed her hand again.

"I'm not apologizing, I'm thanking."

"These had to have been expensive and I know this restaurant isn't exactly cheap either. Where'd you get the money for all of this?"

"Well see, that's my other surprise. The day after I bought the boots I put them up for auction on Ebay. They sold for over $500. So I figured now that some other poor sap had those God awful things and I made a profit off of them that i would take you out and do something nice for you."

Throwing back her head Alex laughed a full throated laugh that brought a smile of pure joy to my lips. She pulled my hand gently, urging me to lean closer and, still chuckling slightly, she leaned across the table and kissed me softly.

"I love you my little Sla-"

"If you say it I'm taking back the earrings and you're sleeping on the couch." I said as I brushed my lips against hers again.

"And if I don't say it?"

"You get to see the other surprise I have for you tonight." I said as I released her hand and signaled for the waiter to bring us our check.

I paid the bill, leaving a sizeable tip and collected my things as Alex stared at me in wonder.

"So what is this other surprise?" She asked standing up grabbing her present..

I looped my arm through hers and leaned into whisper in her ear. I heard her swallow hard and she turned surprised eyes to me.

"You do realize that we'll be lucky if we actually make it all the way home right?" She asked as we made our way out the door and over to my car.

"That's fine." I said airily as I unlocked the door and got in. "Either way, you'll still get it."

THE END


End file.
